Alabama governor says he doesn’t want to run ASU

Gov. Robert Bentley attends a proclamation signing ceremony at the Alabama Capitol in Montgomery, Ala., Wednesday, May 15, 2013. Bentley wants the Legislature to delay Alabama's private school tax credits for two years. Bentley told chamber of commerce leaders Wednesday that a delay will give schools time to try to get off the failing list and will help the state repay a $423 million debt before the tax credits begin.

AP Photo/Dave Martin

By Phillip Rawls | The Associated Press

Published: Tuesday, October 22, 2013 at 3:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Monday, October 21, 2013 at 11:46 p.m.

MONTGOMERY | On his first day back at the office after surgery, Gov. Robert Bentley brushed aside criticism that he’s trying to run Alabama State University and said he will keep pursuing a financial review of university spending despite opposition by some school officials.

“They did stonewall. They did try to keep us from getting certain documents. They treated it more as a criminal case from the beginning. That was not me. That was them,” Bentley told reporters Monday at the Capitol.

Monday was Bentley’s first day at the Capitol since having hernia surgery Oct. 15. The surgery came one day after he released preliminary findings of a forensic audit of Alabama State. The firm Bentley hired, Forensic Strategic Solutions of Birmingham, said it had difficulty getting records from the Montgomery university. It also indicated there were at least $2.5 million in contracts where there were conflicts of interest involving present and former university trustees and where there was limited or no services delivered for the funds paid by the university.

After the release, anonymous signs popped up around Montgomery accusing the governor of trying to damage the university, and the university’s interim president, William Harris, said ASU was “under attack by a governor who wishes to control the destiny of the university.”

“Look, I have a state to run. I’m not interested in running a university,” Bentley told reporters in his first opportunity to respond to criticism he received while sidelined by the surgery.

Bentley hired Forensic Strategic Solutions for $650,000 after former ASU President Joseph Silver questioned some contracts. Bentley, president of the Alabama State board of trustees by virtue of his office, said Monday he intends to have every contract looked at and for the trustees to provide leadership, particularly during the search for a new president following Silver’s departure.

“I want the board of trustees to step up and take their responsibility seriously. I want us to have a very good president who is independent, who has some financial background, who understands the spending of money correctly, and I want the best for our students and our faculty,” the Republican governor said.

Bentley said Monday the university’s spending patterns and management were responsible for the downgrade. “Me releasing a report that was by a forensic group, all that did was show what the real problems were,” he said.

Bentley has called a special meeting of the university trustees for Oct. 28 to discuss the audit’s preliminary findings. He said as governor, he has the authority to do more than pursue a forensic audit, but he has not chosen to do that.

“I had the authority to bring every one of the people at the university or any university before me and make them testify under oath. That’s in the constitution. I did not do that,” he said.

Alabama State did not have any immediate comment about the governor’s remarks Monday.

Bentley’s predecessor, Republican Bob Riley, also got into a dispute involving Alabama State in 2007 when he drew opposition from some ASU supporters and from some powerful legislators when he replaced state Democratic Party vice chairman Joe Reed on the board of trustees.

<p>MONTGOMERY | On his first day back at the office after surgery, Gov. Robert Bentley brushed aside criticism that he's trying to run Alabama State University and said he will keep pursuing a financial review of university spending despite opposition by some school officials. </p><p>“They did stonewall. They did try to keep us from getting certain documents. They treated it more as a criminal case from the beginning. That was not me. That was them,” Bentley told reporters Monday at the Capitol. </p><p>Monday was Bentley's first day at the Capitol since having hernia surgery Oct. 15. The surgery came one day after he released preliminary findings of a forensic audit of Alabama State. The firm Bentley hired, Forensic Strategic Solutions of Birmingham, said it had difficulty getting records from the Montgomery university. It also indicated there were at least $2.5 million in contracts where there were conflicts of interest involving present and former university trustees and where there was limited or no services delivered for the funds paid by the university. </p><p>After the release, anonymous signs popped up around Montgomery accusing the governor of trying to damage the university, and the university's interim president, William Harris, said ASU was “under attack by a governor who wishes to control the destiny of the university.” </p><p>“Look, I have a state to run. I'm not interested in running a university,” Bentley told reporters in his first opportunity to respond to criticism he received while sidelined by the surgery. </p><p>Bentley hired Forensic Strategic Solutions for $650,000 after former ASU President Joseph Silver questioned some contracts. Bentley, president of the Alabama State board of trustees by virtue of his office, said Monday he intends to have every contract looked at and for the trustees to provide leadership, particularly during the search for a new president following Silver's departure. </p><p>“I want the board of trustees to step up and take their responsibility seriously. I want us to have a very good president who is independent, who has some financial background, who understands the spending of money correctly, and I want the best for our students and our faculty,” the Republican governor said. </p><p>On Friday, Moody's Investors Service downgraded Alabama State's revenue bond rating from A2 to A3. University spokesman Ken Mullinax said, “We certainly anticipated that this attack on ASU by Governor Bentley could affect our bond rating.” </p><p>Bentley said Monday the university's spending patterns and management were responsible for the downgrade. “Me releasing a report that was by a forensic group, all that did was show what the real problems were,” he said. </p><p>Bentley has called a special meeting of the university trustees for Oct. 28 to discuss the audit's preliminary findings. He said as governor, he has the authority to do more than pursue a forensic audit, but he has not chosen to do that. </p><p>“I had the authority to bring every one of the people at the university or any university before me and make them testify under oath. That's in the constitution. I did not do that,” he said. </p><p>Alabama State did not have any immediate comment about the governor's remarks Monday. </p><p>Bentley's predecessor, Republican Bob Riley, also got into a dispute involving Alabama State in 2007 when he drew opposition from some ASU supporters and from some powerful legislators when he replaced state Democratic Party vice chairman Joe Reed on the board of trustees.</p>